The Stupidly Simple Reason Why I’ll Never Run Out of Content Ideas
Plus how to find ideas people want to read about
Last week, I listened to Dickie Bush and Dan Koe’s podcast, and Dickie said something that slapped me right in the face.
He said he constantly writes about what he’s currently learning.
I audibly gasped:
“That’s what I’ve been doing for three years!”
As long as I’m learning, I’ll always have ideas.
So who should you learn from? How should you do it?
Here are three concepts that will turn you into a content-creating machine.
1. Become a student of the game
Don’t rely on motivation alone.
Rock climbers only get so far on brute strength. As routes get more complex, climbers must be more dedicated to learning technical moves.
The same goes for content creation in all mediums (Twitter, Youtube, etc.).
While researching content ideas, you must be cautious of the sneaky traps hidden in plain sight all over the internet.
Tell me if you’ve seen a video or Tweet that starts like this:
“If you want to dramatically change your life for the better, you have to wake up at 4 AM, do a 7-step morning routine, eat perfectly, work in a high-demand skill job, and go into monk mode for the rest of your life.”
This sort of content makes me want to go on a 3-mile run.
I’ll even pop a nosebleed in the process and call it “callusing my mind.” But at the end of the day, if I can’t do this consistently, then I’m jogging, writing, or being productive because I’m motivated.
Motivation is a temporary drug that feeds on dopamine.
The crucial step when you get to this point is to switch your dopamine output for serotonin. Then and only then do you become a student of the game — when you research ideas daily because you enjoy the process.
2. Systemize a content creation process
Systems make the writer.
If this is a new concept for you, that’s okay.
I didn’t know about them either until years after I started writing content.
I’ll make it easy to understand:
A personal content system keeps you accountable, so you set aside regular time for brainstorming, drafting, refining ideas, and creating a schedule for your golden value pieces.
The long-term effects of a system of contagious.
How to craft a system that fits your lifestyle
Assuming you work a 9–5 (like me) or some job to pay the bills, creating a system you can do daily is your first priority.
I can’t tell you step-by-step what you should do because your schedule is unique, but I can tell you how I optimized my schedule.
Step 1: Remove obstacles
I moved to a new apartment with fewer roommates and a gym outside my door. It’s quieter when I want to work, and I save 30 minutes of driving to a public weight room 4x a week.
Step 2: Eliminate distractions
I delete TikTok Sunday-Friday evening. I turn my phone on silent mode, take snacks off my desk when I write, and set the alarm for one hour.
Step 3: Activate the mind
I fill my mind by socializing with coworkers and reading. Then I empty my mind by lifting weights or going on a 20–30 minute walk. Then I cap the night by using my mind by writing for one hour.
Step three wouldn’t work as well without steps one and two.
Altogether, every step is something I’m trying to practice daily. It’s not a rigid system. Sometimes I go to a brewery on the weekend. Some weeks I focus on Twitter more than I do here.
Regardless, I focus on activating my mind in different ways.
3. How to find ideas people want to read about
Believe it or not, this part isn’t as important.
Your content system matters more.
So if you skimmed the past point, read it again.
The good thing is, if you’re writing about things other people are discussing, there’s a good chance someone else is also interested in it.
This is called “stealing like an artist.”
If you’re new to this, I assure you, you can take others’ ideas and put your own spin on them. The reality is there are no original ideas anymore.
Whether they have 1,000 or 100,000 followers, the creators you follow on social media steal from each other all the time. You don’t need to do any extensive research. Look at what your current following does now.
So pick one thing you’re learning, and ask yourself, “what angle can I take on this topic using my personal experience and unique creativeness?”
Then package your idea with all the essentials:
Write a title 5–10 different ways and pick the most polarizing one
Pick an image you can’t take your eyes off of
Give your reader something to smile about in every paragraph
Make sure every sentence adds to the message (this is hard, but becomes easier over time)
Wrap up
Put yourself in the shoes of your ideal viewer, and ask yourself, “would I click on this, and then would I stick around and read the whole thing.”
Here's the idea-to-teaching breakdown:
Learn constantly
Download and sort out what you’ve learned
Systemize a process where you write or talk about what you learned
Repeat daily
It’s the simple reason why top creators don’t stop writing. They learn, then curate their thoughts in their own way.